The Whale Warriors by Peter Heller - Book Review

Book: The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals

Author: Peter Heller

Genre: Non-Fiction 

Publisher/Publish Date: Free Press / September, 2007

Source: Public Library

Pages: 288

Rating: 3.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

At the bottom of the globe near Antarctica, there is a battle going on between Japanese whalers and activists (eco-pirates) who are trying to save the wales. The Farley, captained by Paul Watson who runs the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is out to stop whaling for good, by any means necessary. While whaling is mostly illegal, the Japanese get around the laws by saying they are doing it for research.

Fighting to stop whaling is part waiting (it can take weeks to find the ships), and part high action. Watson has previously sunk eight whaling ships and the Farley is outfitted with a seven-foot blade on the bow, bottles of smelly acid to throw aboard whaling vessels, and water cannons.

Peter Heller joined the crew on season and experienced first hand the joyous and dangerous parts of being part of Sea Shepherd. He does a great job at presenting the story without strongly taking sides. It's a great book if you are interested in what's happening with whaling without someone preaching to you.

I originally head about the Sea Shepherd on Animal Planet's reality show, Whale Wars, which has been following them now for five seasons. It's a fascinating show, and while I may not agree with all of their tactics I find their tenacity and idealism fascinating to watch.

The Vast Unknown by Broughton Coburn - Book Review

Book: The Vast Unknown: America's First Ascent of Everest

Author: Broughton Coburn

Genre: History 

Publisher/Publish Date: Crown / April, 2013

Source: First Reads/GoodReads

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

It's no secret that I love books about Everest. While in some ways the stories are all fairly similar, this one tells of America's first assent. Back when climbing Everest was still very new, and a lot more challenging and complicated than it has become today.

America's first expedition team, in 1963, was made up of a young, free-spirited, independent group of climbers, many of whom worked as guides in the Tetons. The climb was a mix of their own hopes of dreams of summiting as well as political and international strategy. In many way the goal of summiting mimicked the space race, which was happening during this time period.

It was not an easy climb. A life was lost. An attempt to summit by a new route was unsuccessful. But their journey made an impact on American climbing and on the lives of each man involved. Coburn does a great job following up with the climbers, showing us the path each of their lives took in the years following their Everest climb.

Thank you GoodReads for a signed copy!

July - What I Read

After a really slow reading month in June (only 3 books), I kicked it up a notch in July. Though it helped that one is a photo book, another I only read part of, and yet another was short stories.

Coyote Lost at Sea, by Julia Plant 

I really enjoy adventure books and this was no exception. It's a look at the life of Mike Plant, seen through the eyes of his younger sister Julia. He's a solo sailer, willing to risk his life for the sport he loved. [my review]

Kneading to Die, by Liz Mugavero
A good beach read with a bit of heart. Luckily the pet parts didn't over power the other good qualities of the book. [my review]

Vanishing Portland, by Ray Bottenberg
A photography book, showing historical architecture in Portland Oregon, along side a bit of info. Fun way to see and read about the history of this city.

Portland in Three Centuries, by Carl Abbott
Another history book about Portland Oregon, but with a lot more words. I only made it through half of it. It found it interesting, but it had a lot of details and I felt ready to move onto another book.

The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan, by Jonathan Kirsch
While I really liked this book and learned a lot from it, it wasn't the most fun book to read. I powered through it and was glad I did. [my review]

Seaside Harmony, by Evangeline Kelley
Another good beach read or summer read. Lighthearted and made me wish I could take a trip to where the book was set.

Accidental Time Traveller, by Janis Mackay
A pretty decent Middle Grade book about a young girl who travels and gets stuck in time.

A Dangerous Fiction, by Barbara Rogan
A really great mystery novel. Well written with a plot that is layer though not too complicated to get confusing. Expect a review for this soon.

The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories, by Connie Willis
A collection of short stories. I read four of them, and really enjoyed them. Mostly I am not a huge fan of short stories though, would rather have something around 300-400 pages with a good story I can get lost in.

Coyote Lost at Sea by Julia Plant - Book Review

Book: Coyote Lost at Sea: The Story of Mike Plant, America's Daring Solo Circumnavigator

Author: Julia Plant

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir 

Publisher/Publish Date: International Marine Publishing / February 27, 2013

Source: Publisher, NewGalley

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

Coyote Lost at Sea tells the story of Mike Plants rocky life and successful sailing career told by the person who probably knew him best, his sister Julia Plant.  Along with journals and memoirs that Mike had started writing, she pieces together the life of someone who was a risk-taker, charismatic, intense, and liked to hide from the limelight. This is not just a book about adventure, but a look into who he really was, and what lead up to his disastrous final trip across the Atlantic.

What drew me to this book was the adventure of singlehanded ocean sailing, but what I really enjoyed is how much Julia shared about her life growing up with her brother. She using the writing of the book to process what his life and death meant to her, and tries to uncover what lead him on his unending travels and dangerous endeavors.

About half of the book covers his childhood, growing up on a lake, travels through South America in his early twenties, and trying to balance his life against the expectations of his father. At 35, while living in Rhode Island, he decides to build a sail boat and enter a singlehanded, around-the-world yacht race. I won't give away the result of the race, though it's easy to find with a quick internet search. He was so in love with singlehanded sailing, by the time he died at age 42 he was one of only five people to have completed three solo circumnavigations.

I recommend this book to anyone who really loves memoirs or adventure books.

*Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased at Amazon.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks! 

Archipelago: A Novel - Book Review

Book: Archipelago: A Novel

Author: Monique Roffey

Genre: Fiction Travel 

Publisher/Publish Date: Penguin Books / May 28, 2013

Source: ARC courtesy and GoodReads First Reads

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

A father and daughter on the voyage of a lifetime.

After a horrific flash flood that left their life shattered, Gavin takes his daughter, Ocean, and dog, Suzy, and leaves their home in Trinidad, and sets sail on a Caribbean adventure. This book is a mixture of hope, heartbreak, healing, and travel, looking at how people deal with the grief of lost loved ones.

They journey though the local archipelagos, make new friends, sail through the Panama Canal, and visit the Galapagos Islands. They work on coming to terms with the natural world, both the danger and the beauty it contains, and what God's role is in all of it.

Ocean, the six-year-old daughter, is adorable, and it's easy to relate to and want to give a big hug. Gavin is a lost and grieving husband, who is a likable, and a very empathetic character. The author, Roffey, writes a beautiful, heart touching story, that I think most people could find something to relate to.

I loved this book, and shed a couple tears. Good if you are feeling a bit melancholy, and perfect to read on a rainy day under a warm blanket.

my (girls) weekend - Point Reyes

It's always nice to get out of the city, spend some quality time with my friends, and breath in some nature. This last Saturday, three friends and I drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Point Reyes Area. I love how close this area is to SF and all the wonderful things it offers: kayaking, oysters, hiking, a cute little town, ocean views, and a view of a fault line.

Luckily the weather was amazing, and we had an amazing day grabbing brunch, walking on the beach, and eating oysters.

Bolinas, CA

Book Review: No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs

I have a little obsession with books, movies, and TV shows about mountain climbing, and specifically Everest. I have literally watched every documentary on Netflix about the mountain, and wish there was more. When I heard about this book, which is Ed Viesturs retelling of his treks to Mount Everest, as well as the other 13 8000'ers (ie. mountains higher than 8,000 meters), it sounded right up my ally.

One thing I found really interesting about this book, is that it deals with one person's journey from never having set foot on a mountain, to becoming a world class mountain climber. The highs and lows of finding love and losing close friends resonate with all of us, but his ease and success at mountain climbing set him apart physically from most of us. Since climbing mountains that are so high it can cause liquid to build up in your lungs, create avalanches that can kill you in a split second, can be dangerous, it adds up to a lot of danger and excitement. And even though we know the outcome (no surprise, he does reach the summit of the 14 highest peaks), each times he heads up, we the reader, doesn't know if he will be successful.

Loki's Wolves: The Blackwell Pages

Book: Loki's Wolves (The Blackwell Pages Series)
Author: K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr
Genre: Middle Grade, Mythological 
Publisher/Publish Date: Little, Brown / May 7, 2013
Source: ARC curtesy of publisher
Pages: 358
Rating: 4/5
GoodReads  •  Amazon

The son of the local sheriff, Matt, knew he was a descendent of the Norse God Thor, but until he was chosen as the living representative of Thor it was never a big deal. Being chosen as the champion means he must fight in Ragnarök, the final battle, and he over hears his family saying they don't expect him to survive.

Matt decided to go off on his own, and find the other characters from the myths who were also foretold to fight in the final battle. He wants to prove his family wrong, and return a true champion.

When I got this book in the mail and saw the cover, I wasn't sure what to think about it. But once I got to reading I found I really enjoyed it. In many ways it reminds me of Harry Potter: kids having an adventure without their parents, serpent attacks, friends banding together to battle mythological creatures. While the writing isn't quite on par with J.K. Rowling, I could see this series really taking off, especially with grade school and middle school kids—much like the first Harry Potter book.

It ends on a cliffhanger, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you have any young kids on your christmas shopping list, this would be a great gift for them.

Thank you Little, Brown and GoodReads for the ARC! I received it by entering a contest on GoodReads, First Reads. It's open to anyone so head on over and see what other books you can enter to win; they have some really great giveaways.